Pacific cod

Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska is depleted, but is not subject to overfishing.There are four Pacific cod stocks in the north Pacific. In the east, they are: Aleutian Islands (AI), Bering Sea (BS), and Gulf of Alaska (GOA). In the west is the Bering Sea (West) and Chukotskaya, Karaginskaya & Petropavlovsko-Komandorskaya subzones stock. This rating covers the Gulf of Alaska.A small fishery for GOA Pacific cod began in the 1950s. It fluctuated between 50,000t and 80,000t in the 1990s and 2000s, declining to just 7,000t in 2020. In 2024, 23,000 tonnes were caught.The most recent stock assessment was published by NOAA in 2024 using data up to 2024. The approach to setting targets and reference points for the stock varies depending on which tier the stock is listed as. They also vary from one year to the next, depending on the most recent stock assessment data.The GOA stock is Tier 3b, indicating there are some data limitations, but there are reference points for biomass and fishing pressure.In the Gulf of Alaska, very warm waters are having a large negative effect on recruitment and may be reducing adult survival as well. The threshold for closing the fishery is set at 20% of the biomass that would exist in the absence of fishing (B20%). This is to protect Steller sea lions, for which cod is important prey. In 2020, the stock was below this point and the federal fishery was closed, although a small state fishery continued. In 2021, the stock had recovered to above B20% and the fishery was reopened. However, long-term warming in the Gulf of Alaska and a predicted increase in the frequency of heatwave events means that conditions will likely become increasingly unfavourable for Pacific cod.In 2024, the female spawning biomass was estimated to be 51,959t, which equates to B30%. This is above the point of reproductive impairment, B17.5%. However it is below the proxy for Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), B35% (61,315t). The stock is therefore still in an overfished state. As it is above the halfway point between Blim and BMSY (B27%), there is slightly reduced concern for the stock.The proxy for Maximum Sustainable Yield with regard to fishing mortality is the overfishing limit (OFL). For 2024, it is set at 0.52, increasing to 0.57 in 2025 and 0.51 in 2026. The Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC), which is used to decide catch limits, is calculated as a proportion of the OFL, and was 0.42 in 2024. This equates to a catch of 32,272 tonnes. The total catch of Pacific cod has been less than the OFL and ABC in every year since 1997. Estimated catch in 2024 was 23,171t - below ABC and therefore below OFL. Therefore, the stock is not subject to overfishing.In 2025 the stock is projected to decline to 46,920t. As a result, the ABC for 2025 (32,141t) has only slightly decreased (<1%) from 2024.

A number of management measures are in place and compliance is good. Catches are below scientifically recommended limits. The majority of the fishery is Marine Stewardship Council certified, although certification is conditional on making some improvements.There are three Pacific cod stocks in the eastern north Pacific: Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, and Gulf of Alaska. They are managed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. There are two separate but complementary fishery management plans (FMPs) for them: the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Groundfish FMP and the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Groundfish FMP. The FMPs cover a number of species, which are managed using various measures to protect stocks and ecosystem. These include catch limits and spatial and temporal closures.The BSAI and GOA fishery is Marine Stewardship Council certified. In 2024, approximately 37% of the total GOA was by certified fisheries. The certification is conditional on developing clear, fishery-specific objectives.The BSAI cod fisheries mainly happen in US waters and are managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Stock assessments are carried out regularly. The overfishing limit (OFL), equivalent to the Maximum Sustainable Yield, is based on the estimated stock biomass. Catch limits are based on the Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC), which is set below the OFL. This keeps catch limits below the level at which the stock would be put at risk by the fishery.However, very warm waters in the Gulf of Alaska have caused significant stock declines. Following the first heat wave, biomass fell by more than half from 113,830 tonnes in 2014 to 46,080 tonnes in 2017. This resulted in the MSC certification for GOA being suspended in April 2020, although it has since been reinstated.The threshold for closing the fishery is set at 20% of the biomass that would exist in the absence of fishing (B20%). This is to protect Steller sea lions, for which cod is important prey. In 2020, the stock was below this point and the federal fishery was closed, although a small state and bycatch fishery continued. However, there is evidence to suggest that the fishery should have been closed a year earlier following the 2018 stock assessments.In 2021, the stock recovered to above B20% and the fishery was reopened. Biomass has increased, but remains below the level associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield. The recommended catch limit for 2025 (32,141t) is a slight decrease from 2024 levels.Management therefore appears to be following scientific advice and is responsive to stock status.There is a federal and a state fishery. The ABC is divided between the two: the federal fishery is limited by a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and the state fishery is limited by a Guideline Harvest Level (GHL). In 2024 the ABC was 32,272t, with the federal TAC set at 23,766 t and state GHL set at 8,506 t. As of 17 October 2024, a total of 23,171t (72% of the ABC) had been harvested. The total catch of Pacific cod has been less than the OFL and ABC in every year since 1997.Therefore, the fishery appears to be complying well with catch limits.Stock assessments and management advice are based on a tiered system, where Tier 1 indicates the most data rich, and Tier 6 is the least. The BS stock is Tier 3b, indicating that there are reference points. There are some uncertainties in the assessment. Environmental conditions are improving for Pacific cod as temperatures cool, which indicate stock improvements in future.Other management measures include spatial and temporal closures. There are bycatch limits to protect juveniles and species of concern, such as Steller sea lions, chinook salmon and herring.In the Gulf of Alaska, all vessels in the groundfish fisheries must have a permit. Vessel monitoring systems track locations. Scientifically trained observers monitor catch and bycatch. Dockside monitoring, and electronic monitoring systems ensure compliance. Fishermen must retain their entire catch of Pacific cod - it cannot be discarded at sea. This improves accuracy of catch data.

Most Gulf of Alaska cod is caught by otter trawls, which are likely to cause some damage to the seabed. However, the footprint of this fishery is small, and bycatch is low.Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska are caught by longline, trawl, pot and jig. Trawling accounted for around 38% in 2024.Demersal trawls have contact with the seabed, resulting in penetration and abrasion of habitat features. The impact of trawling on the seabed depends on the where trawling happens, and on what scale. For example, habitats that are used to natural disturbance through tides and waves are less sensitive to impacts. Areas not used to mobile towed gears are typically more sensitive. The GOA Pacific cod trawl fishery generally occurs over sand, mud and/or cobble substrates and presents relatively minimal bycatch of sessile epibenthic fauna. Trawls can have negative impacts in areas where Pacific cod are associated with living structural habitats, such as corals and sea whips.The GOA fishery has a relatively small footprint. The area disturbed by commercial fishing (pelagic and non-pelagic trawl, longline, and pot) is below 2% in the west and 0.2% in the east. Almost 65% of the U.S. EEZ of Alaska is closed to bottom trawling.Demersal otter trawls have the potential to take relatively high quantities of bycatch. Around 46 species are caught in the GOA trawl fishery for Pacific cod. Many are managed under the GOA Groundfish management plan. According to MSC reports, Pacific cod accounted for 82% of the average catch from 2014-2018. Bycatch species include North Pacific octopus (11t), various skates, butter sole (37t), dusky sole, and starry sole (30t). Spiny dogfish is also bycaught, but at low levels (25t). These are unlikely to have population level impacts, but there is not enough data to be sure.Bycatch of Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species can include Pacific halibut, chinook salmon and some crab species. Catches by this fishery appear to be very low, and MSC reports indicate that it is unlikely to be having a population-level impact.In Alaska, measures restricting the type of gear fishermen may use and when and where they may fish, reduce bycatch of other species in the Alaska Pacific cod fisheries. For example, there are limits on the amount of Pacific halibut that can be incidentally caught in trawl and hook-and-line fisheries. On the West Coast, area closures, reduced trip limits, non-retention rules, gear restrictions, and variable catch limits are used to help minimize impacts to overfished rockfish and prevent bycatch.Catches of Steller sea lion have been known. However, NOAA lists the Gulf of Alaska cod trawl fishery as Category III for Steller sea lion (Western U.S.), which means that there is remote likelihood of, or no known, incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.Management measures have been implemented to protect the direct and indirect impact on Steller sea lion, for which cod is a prey species. These include establishing fishery exclusion zones around rookery or haul out sites, phased-in reductions in the proportions of the catch that can be taken from critical habitat, and additional seasonal TAC releases to disperse the fishery in time.Seabird bycatch increased in 2023 (898 birds) compared to 2022 (464 birds) this includes black-footed albatross (averaging 180 birds annually 2019-2023), northern fulmar (92), gulls (67), and in 2023 148 Laysan albatross. These catch rates are low and are not thought to have population-level impacts.